How to run Windows XP programs in Windows 7?

If you have programs (or we call them apps nowadays, thanks to Apple) that runs only on Windows XP and will not run on Windows 7 at all. Even you tried to execute the program by setting "Compatibility" (in properties) to run as Windows XP, the program will stubbornly not run at all. It is time to install a virtual PC on your Windows 7.

There are other methods  to allow you to run the native Windows XP program:
1. Install Windows XP and Windows 7, and make the PC dual boot - Windows XP and Windows 7 co-exist on same system. However this will create quite a messy files system and I am not sure will it works.
2. You can also install virtual box on Windows 7 and then install the Windows XP. However you will need the original setup CD of Windows XP. Who would ever keep the Windows XP setup CD?
3. Buy a second hand system that come with Windows XP. Or install Windows XP on the old system, but need the original Windows XP setup CD as well.

Microsoft is kind enough to provide this Windows XP virtual [read: MS is not always so generous, okay]. Here are what to do:
1. Go to the virtual pc website of MS
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx
2. Choose to download for Windows XP virtual pc.
3. The website will need to verify if your Windows 7 is a legitimate, you will need to allow the download and execute this file "WindowsActivationUpdate.exe". I have to use IE to do this, using Chrome to download and execute taking forever (Probably MS purposely make it that way?).
4. After verification, it will bring you to the actual download page. There are 4 steps to follow, first step is to save that web page or print it for reference. I skipped the first step and jump to step 2 to step 4. :P
5. There are 3 files to download:

1. Windows XP virtual PC (WindowsXPMode_N_en-us.exe) ~460MB.
2. Virtual PC update (Windows6.1-KB958559-x64-RefreshPkg.msu) ~16MB
3. WinXP virtual PC update (Windows6.1-KB977206-x64.msu) ~4MB

6. Install the files in order listed in step 5. It will ask to restart in every step, I just wait until all has been install.
7. After restart your PC, time to run Windows XP virtual PC for first time.
a. Start -> All Programs -> Windows Virtual PC -> Windows XP Mode
8. You will have to wait a while for the first time because it will install the Windows XP.
a. Key in a password for the Windows XP virtual PC when it ask for it. Not needed to be same with your Windows 7 password.
9. After Windows XP boot up in virtual PC, you will able to see this. Note the BlueStacks gadget next to it. :D


10. The C drive and D drive in this virtual PC is not the same one on your Windows 7. They are virtual disk on this virtual PC. However your actual disks on Windows 7 should be link as a network disk in the virtual PC.
11. Go ahead and install the programs that you want to use in Windows 7.

Things to note: there are no shutdown option in this virtual Windows XP. Click on "Ctrl+Alt+Del" on the virtual PC windows and select shutdown. Or course no hibernate for this Windows XP as well.

It took ~2 to 3GB of disk space from the Windows 7 system for the Windows XP virtual PC default installation, not including the additional software you going to install on the virtual PC.


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source: I wrote this!

Extend Windows desktop to 4 desktops

Why would someone extend a Windows desktop to 4 desktop? For those that used to Linux would know that that help to organize the Windows, you can put some jobs in one desktop and another jobs in another. By doing that you don't always have to look into every Windows just find the MS office or MathLab or Chrome.

I could put all personal web browsing in one desktop and work related Windows into another desktop. So when your boss drop by your cubicle, he/she would see your clean desktop with just work related stuffs. ;-)

There are a few similar software that have this kind of function. Today I would want to introduce Dexpot. It is free of charge for personal use.

It supports older version of Windows such as Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows NT4, but upto version 1.4 only.

It also have portable version, which I like it very much!

You can configure different wallpapers and screen saver for each desktop. However I didn't try the password. One Windows login password is enough, why want to have so many password? I would think this is very useful if you are sharing one computer with another person, there is no need to login and logout every time want to change user. Just use Dexpot to assign each Desktop to each user. By doing this it can be share with 4 persons!

There is a powerful component in Dexpot that automatically distribute the Windows into different Desktop. By configure it correctly, you can always make sure your facebook page is not same desktop with simulation windows.

There are many more features, but it would be super long post. So I leave it to you to explorer. :)

Dexpot download page

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pix source: http://dexpot.de
Source: I wrote this!

Windows 7 is the king now!

According to Stat Counter, Windows 7 take over the number 1 most people use OS recently. Only after 2 years it manage to take over Windows XP as the champion. Vista is just pathetic at 3rd place while Mac OS and Linux are steadily ramping up over the years. That is world wide data.

How about for Malaysia? Looks like Malaysia is ahead of the world wide that we use more Windows 7 at April of this year.

One interesting chart is for Antarctica, it is very inconsistent. The reason I can think of is that this is a no-man land, only some scientists go there. So depend on the system that those few scientists use during that time, the OS change from time to time. Example from mid of 2010 to mid of this year, it is dominant by Win7, but at July alone it is dominate by Mac OS. 

If you prefer, you can go to the interactive chart in the source link at end of this post and look for your country and region. You can even check for the market segment of web browsers and Mobile OS.

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source: Stat Counter

My kind of Windows Explorer - Explorer++

If you are Windows user, regardless Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 (anyone already on Windows 8???), you should have use Windows Explorer before. Even you always use "My Computer" to find the files, but it is actually Windows Explorer, just without the Folder view.

I use Windows Explorer a lot, both at work or at home. Copy files, move files, delete files, open files. And I use a few of Windows Explorer windows at any time, because I am too lazy to browse through the folder again every time I need to open it, so I just leave it. But that become very cluster, and messy with so many windows opened. So I start thinking if there is any multi-tab Windows Explorer? We have some many multi-tab web browsers, Firefox, Safari, Opera and IE also before multi-tab after some many years lack of this function after FF or Safari or Opera already have multi-tab.

Forget about web browsers, and there is a multi-tab Windows Explorer, but as always, it is not from Microsoft. But luckily this multi-tab Windows Explorer is a free software! Yeah!

Explorer++ (yes, it is Explorer with 2 plus symbols behind) can be come with installation version or portable version. This is another plus point, no installation! I have tried many file explorers, like Total Commander (need to pay), or some other which I forgot the names, because I simply switch back to use Windows Explorer after a few days of trying these file explorers. So you can know these file explorers are as bad as original Windows Explorer. :P

Because I am too lazy to take snapshot of Explorer++, so I just take the screenshots from it's website, hehe. And I will do some intro to the features of Explorer++.

Firstly, the view, it can be just like the original Windows Explorer, nothing much. Of course you can customize to add in more column in detail view, again, same like original Windows Explorer.

Second, it can show folder size at detail view. Don't this feature available

Third, you can change the attribute of files, again, same like Windows Explorer, but you can change the modification/creation/accessed date of each file. To do that, select the file(s) and then click "File" and then "Set File Attributes".

Forth, it can bookmark the folder that you want to open regularly.

And best of all, it is multi-tab, if you click on any of the picture above, you can already see the multi-tab. So no more messy with more than 10 Windows Explorer, because all of them can be open in muti-tab of Explorer++.

Okay, to get it, you can either get it from portableaps.com which will install the portable version for you.
http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/explorerplusplus_portable

Or just download the zip version and unzip the files on your own. 64bits version available here. :)
http://www.explorerplusplus.com/download

The website:
http://www.explorerplusplus.com/home

Have a nice Sunday and a nice week ahead. :)

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source: I wrote this, but pictures are from explorerplusplus website :P

p/s: submit your software/hardware/smartphone/tablet for review here, contact me at ahsiang888 at gmail.com. But be warned, I will write what ever is true if your stuffs really bad.

Print Large Image to Multiple pages in Windows

I never thought of Windows can do this, yes, just Windows, and its default programs. No third party software, no need freeware or paidware. Just Windows. Surprisingly!

Yesterday I wanted to print a map on more than one pages (so that I get a bigger picture), so I tried my favourite image viewer see if it works, but somehow it don't have that option, too bad. Of course I can fire up my freeware Photoshop equivalent software, which is GIMP, and start splitting up the image to a few pieces and then print one by one. But that would take more time right? So I go to Google and Google it as usual.

And I did find the solution and no new software need to be install, just like that I said in the beginning of this post. Here is how:

1. Open the image that you want to print with Paint (Start -> Accessories -> Paint). Or copy the image and paste it on Paint once you have open it.
2. Select "Print" -> "Page Setup" (Windows 7 and Vista), or "File" -> "Page Setup" (Windows XP).
3. At "Scaling", select "Fit to" and then change the setting to "2" by "2" page(s ).
4. Click OK.
5. Print the image from Paint, make sure you select to print "All Pages".

That's it, you then can collect the print out from printer and merge them (with scissors and glue, to trim down the white spaces and stick them) if you want to. Also you can play with the print margin to reduce the white spaces as much as possible.

Of course it might take a few times to get use to it on the setting on step 3 showed above, but there is way avoid wasting papers, what would be another day to write on that, if I ever remember to write it. :P

Should apply to Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

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source: I wrote this!

Still using Windows XP r?

Yes. There are a lot of people still using Windows XP, especially those corporate users still using Windows XP because it is much much more stable than Windows Vista. And why do you need to upgrade to Windows7 if all your stuffs working in Windows XP? If using existing hardware to upgrade to Windows7, most of the time you will suffer, a lot! For small and medium companies, where got money to do these sort of crazy thing? So for Windows XP user out there, something for you to play with Windows XP setting. WARNING: for expert user only. Do not blame me if your computer/laptop/desktop/Windows XP corrupted or suffer some errors after try the stuffs below! :P

Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/Downloads/powertoys/Xppowertoys.mspx

10 cool things you can do with TweakUI:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=1203